Tag Archives: family cows

Georgia has been fascinated with cows ever since discovering the playful nature of a young steer while she was volunteering at Stamford Nature Center. As a special treat, her family arranged for a farm birthday party at Local Farm. Here are some photos of Georgia, her husband Matt, and their daughter Audrey; shMOOzing with MOOcows, walking calves, and cuddling with Vulture the hen… all in all: a FARMtastic Birthday adventure!

After participating in a week-long intensive (inspiring, yet tiring) Building Abrahamic Partnerships program at Hartford Seminary, Debra was glad to get home to peace-and-quiet and the gratifying routine of morning chores at Local Farm. Her friend Juliet, a rabbinical student who also participated in the program, spent the night and joined Deb and Margaret in milking cows, bottle-feeding calves, setting up a new pasture rotation for the cows, and picking strawberries. Here are some of her photos of that morning.

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Experiencing our physical connection to the land by walking barefoot* in the rain, harvesting fruit and milk to eat, and by caring for the earth and animals who provide that food; quietly guides us inward to our central core of peace and security. Listening, speaking, and acting from a strong, loving, peace-filled center allows us to be more effective in the world.

The Building Abrahamic Partnerships, or “BAP,” program Debra attended was comprised of people from the three faith traditions: Muslim, Judaism, and Christianity, who all trace their beginnings to the Biblical Abraham. She and Juliet (Christian and Jew) would like to invite future BAP students to Local Farm for a day-long farm visit either at the start or end of the program. With a third classmate, Nazeera, who is of the Muslim faith, Juliet and Debra hope to develop other interfaith leadership development opportunities at Local Farm; AND! possibly a “class” reunion this August… in order to “share the peace” of Local Farm.

*for safety and our peace-of-mind, shoes or boots are required for group farm visits.

make butter, yogurt, simple cheese, and ice-cream; as well as giving pointers on finding, feeding, fencing, and breeding a backyard cow; since 2002. We hope you’ll enjoy the following Family Cow Foto Album!
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After two weeks at Stone Silo Farm with her mother, Susan, we brought young Samantha to grow up at Local Farm. Using an empty 100# feed sack around her legs and body kept her snug and secure as we drove home with her in the trunk of our Kia Spectra. Split fold-down back seat rests make this a deluxe way to transport calves! Soon she was out of the car and meeting her new neighbor, Sherlock. Learning to drink from a bottle after nursing directly from one’s mother is not an easy task. If the calf has been nursing from its mother for more than 10 days, I don’t even try to feed it until 12 hours after the separation. Making sure the fresh milk in the bottle is absolutely no cooler than 95 degrees and preferably under 110 degrees, I straddle the calf and usually back her into a corner. I happened to be wearing a dress this morning and my skirt conveniently restrained Samantha from backing up so I could gently force open her mouth and insert the bottle’s nipple. Then I held her mouth shut on it, pulling and squeezing, until she got the idea that sucking on that horrid green plastic nipple yields sweet milk. After a couple more “straddled” feedings, she’s sure get the hang of it.

Welcome to Local Farm

Many of our events are organized collaboratively with the non-profit Motherhouse, Inc. For regular updates on their eggscellent Old Style Life-Skills Series of workshops for the backyard farmer/homesteader, subscribe to the free Motherhouse newsletter, and/or "Like" Motherhouse on Facebook and receive reminders and reports of these and udder eggsciting events.

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"Where else in the world could I watch young kittens at play, cuddle a baby bunny, muck out a calf pen, see a newborn calf, watch swallows feeding their young, feed some chickens, watch a cow being bred, and walk an obstreperous young bull?" asked Naomi after a morning visit to Local Farm.
July 26, 2013.